Butler school? Old school’s best!

Lest we forget - and I’m as guilty of this as anyone - there are butler school basics and there are ‘real’ skills that are taught by a select few.

Here’s an edited snippet of an e-mail sent to me recently by Butler School maestro and the ‘Butler’s Butler’ Mr Rick Fink regarding his latest student:

Rick wrote:

…..on Wednesday he will be visiting a family, who I work for, and have a day cleaning silver, polishing some top antique furniture, learning to clean Hunting Boots and also shown how to ‘break’ and clean a Shot Gun.

These are the jobs that are still, in the UK, required of a Butler/Valet. Even if one’s clients live and work in London they still go to the countryside to find their weekend sports and return with dirty gun and boots!

The next day I will drive him down to Dorset at 06.00 where he will work for a Baron and Baroness - cleaning more silver and learning to clean more shoes to a very high degree (I am talking of ‘burning and boning’ here) , he will also do a certain amount of ironing and pressing.

We will get back at about 19.30. This is what I expect of my students and why I expect them to get good jobs - they have no grand ideas of standing at a front door waiting in white gloves for the occasional VIP to arrive, although they still have to do that when called to. The aforementioned tasks are ‘proper’ elbow-grease work that they should be, and are, expected to do.

It is also expected of them to look immaculate and be turned out correctly at all times and still be able to serve and do their duties to the highest standards. Managing the estate and running the house is an ongoing job, as is carrying the breakfast trays up the stairs to the guests still in bed at 10.00!

If the ‘modern butler’ thinks he is too good, or precious, for these menial tasks then, as far as I am concerned, he should not be doing the job and I certainly am not interested in training him.

Well there you have it from the man I consider the ‘Yoda’ of Butling in this country :-)

The Butler training for to teach you I will

(PS: As a side note Rick is the chap that the newspapers should be calling when they require an informed comment re ‘Butling’ as opposed to some others [who shall remain nameless].

Thanks for that Rick and may the force always remain with you !

On the job (part #2)

So what’s a newly schooled Butler to do? And, more to the point, what’s an employer to do when giving a position to an untested, straight out of college individual?

Here’s an idea - what if the School followed through. In other words if the school, having taught the basics, and hopefully much more, to the student then placed that person in a private household and followed through by going, with the graduate, into that household - setting standards, creating duty/task lists and ensuring that the individual was up for the job. It shouldn’t take more than a day or three.

Every household being different this seems like a good idea to me. Good for the client, good for the Butler/House Manager - a good thing all round. For an experienced House Manager (i.e. the Trainer) to work/walk through the day to day tasks and duties that the newly appointed person will face would be a sensible way to bridge the gap between theory and reality.

The problem lies in the fact that there are relatively few large households these days (compared to the Victorian and Edwardian eras) with very large household brigades through which a novice Butler (i.e. Footman) could learn his trade and progress. I do occasionally come across an ad on an Agencies page for an Assistant Butler but not often.

I’m pleased to say that there are some (but not many) Domestic Staff agencies that do this e.g. Precise Home Management - I’m sure there are others too that I don’t know about - but they are in the minority.

Similarly the only Butler School that I know of that follows through in this way is Rick Fink’s Butler/Valet School in the UK.

Steven Ferry of the International Institute of Modern Butlers advocates a form of internship where a newly trained Butler accepts a lower salary to get a years experience in a fine home under his belt, working under a seasoned professional. A\ great idea and the client benefits too getting a second pair of hands at a lower rate of pay for a year. Next year, when the current intern moves on, they take on another school graduate - a kind of Butler fostering!

Yes you Mr ?

It seems to me that too many so called Butler Schools are charging a large amount of money for a 6/8/12 week course with the ‘promise’ of a well paid job at the end of said course. This can often end in tears and frustration.

Next Page →